10 Things to Remember When You Have Depression and The World is a Mess
Times are strange, and Depression is rough. Don’t give up.
1. A Shoulder to Cry on is Just a Phone Call Away- Some days are heavier than others, and that’s often when you want to recoil. But if what you really need is a little humanity, remind yourself of the others who have abundant love available for you. Call a friend, a family member, or a 24/7 help hotline. Go to a local depression/bipolar support group meeting, most areas have AA/NA meetings too. There is always someone who cares.
2. Give Yourself a Break- There’s a lot going on in our world right now. Allow yourself to feel your reactions to daily tragedies. If you feel the need to grieve, let yourself mourn. Watch for your judgmental thoughts about your reactions, and remind yourself that it’s OK to feel sad.
3. Reach Out to Your Community- Depression can fester when you sit alone with your thoughts. Check out of your brain for a while- find support systems through volunteer opportunities. Whatever helps you connect with the issues, and others who care about them. Just attending an intro to hear what it’s about can be a great first step.
4. Offer Help to Others- If volunteering with a larger organization is not for you, try to find other ways to give one-on-one caring in your community. Visit an elderly person who’d like some company, sign up to be a dog walker, bake for your neighbors; do things that make you feel happiness and notice the love in the world. You’re adding to it.
5. Remember Social Media Does Not Reflect Reality- People only post snippets they like to make up the storyboard of their life, and everyone’s feed is heavily edited. You’re not the only one out there feeling inadequate or lost in times of trouble, and it’s not true that everyone else is much happier than you. People blast each other on social media from the safety of their keyboards, and comments sections can often read as the worst of humanity. Do yourself a favor- don’t indulge in the distortion.
6. Remember News Media Does Not Reflect Your Daily Life- Outside of the screen, news media rarely mirrors the issues we are personally facing every day. Try to live less through the news and more in your own world. Focus on what you’d like to change about your own daily routine and give your energy to troubles you can control. Write down some personal goals to tackle instead.
7. Never a Bad Time to Exercise- Walk the block, jog around a park, try yoga on YouTube, join a gym. Whatever your level of commitment to your body, try to fit in fifteen minutes a day of breathing and movement. If you can create a routine out of it, even better.
8. Let It Out- Blog, journal, call someone and vent, scream into a pillow, paint, squish some play-doh, take up kickboxing, cry- whatever it is, release your frustration. It’s doing no good inside your mind.
9. Look for the Helpers, Notice the Love- If you do watch the news throughout the day, try to take count of all the people helping and spreading love that come across your screen.
10. It’s OK to Tune Out from Time to Time- Remember that humans are not meant to see this level of tragedy and horror this often and on this scale. Give yourself the space to put down the technology.
